It's just off of the 101 at the 7th Avenue Exit South to first light which is Union Hills Dr. in the "7th Avenue Plaza" beside McDonald's on the NE Corner.

Tattoo Makeup: The Beauty Secret of the Stars

Hello, , a procedure also known as or tattoo makeup, has long been popular in Europe and on the East and West Coasts in US. Now it is rapidly gaining popularity in the smaller towns in the US. Applied by a gifted practitioner, permanent cosmetics can give you the polished glamor of professionally applied makeup that will never flake, smudge or run, stay with you day and night and last for years. At a fraction of the cost of , permanent tattoo makeup can instantly take years off your appearance, bring out and enhance your best features and correct minor and not so minor flaws and skin imperfections. Many entertainers, actresses and models, - such as Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Dolly Parton, Raquel Welch, Cher and others, - have used it to maintain their polished, seemingly flawless appearance. On this page and other pages of this site, I will describe the benefits of the most popular permanent makeup procedures, provide many permanent makeup pictures of people just like you, before and after they had permanent makeup done. I hope these pages will help you decide if permanent cosmetics can help you achieve the appearance that you want.

What Is Permanent Cosmetics?

Similar to tattoo, permanent cosmetics is a non-surgical technique in which a tiny quantity of pigment is placed under the top layer of the skin. However, unlike tattoo, the objective is a very subtle enhancement of facial features that looks as natural as possible. If done properly, the end result of permanent cosmetics should be similar to the professionally applied makeup, except it will stay on permanently, day and night. Permanent makeup procedures are done under topical anesthesia, the recovery time is typically minimal and the results are visible nearly instantly. Once the skin heals over the inserted pigment, it seals the makeup inside. Protected by the skin, the makeup is care free, waterproof, will not smudge or run and can last for years. Touch-ups are needed to maintain the vibrancy of the color.

Typically, procedures are done on the eyebrows, eyes and lips. Changing the shape, fullness and definition of the eyebrows emphasizes and lifts the eyes, frames the face, and adds balance and symmetry. Adding a permanent eyeliner makes lashes appear fuller and thicker. Subtle definition can be added to the eyes, making eyes appear larger and more striking. Accent colors may be used to match, contrast or deepen the color of the eyes. Lips can be made to appear fuller and more defined, adding youth and sensuality.

Areola, Scar and Stretch Mark Camouflage and Revision

Paramedical permanent makeup procedures include scar camouflage as well as non-surgical scar and stretch mark removal, where the top layers of the scar are progressively removed until the scar is either gone or significantly diminished.

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a disfiguring loss of skin color. Michael Jackson is the best known celebrity who had such condition. When the affected areas are relatively small, permanent makeup can offer a solution.

Acne Scars, Wrinkles, Skin Tone

One of the newest procedures is Skin Needling also known as Rejuvenation Therapy (CRT), a new medical breakthrough in permanent cosmetics and . It improves a wide variety of , such as: skin texture, large pores, sun damage, wrinkles, and scarring (acne, chicken pox, surgical). Skin needling enhances skin penetration of vitamins (A & C) and effectively increases new collagen production without damaging the skin. It focuses on your natural cell regeneration, not fibrosis (scar tissue), which is common in laser treatments and microdermabrasion. This procedure works from within - not just the surface, to create your own collagen naturally and without the risks of lasers.

Questions Everyone Asks about Permanent Makeup Procedures?

The three questions I get asked most often are: "Will it hurt?", "Will it look natural?" and "What is the recovery time after the procedure?". Since we use surgical strength topical anesthetic, most people are quite comfortable during the procedure. Special techniques, such as "hairstroke" eyebrow imitation, have been developed to make permanent makeup appear as natural as possible. During the procedures, the bleeding and swelling is controlled by epinephrine, so there is no down time - in most cases you can go out right away!

Popularity of permanent cosmetics procedures has attracted not only highly skilled professional make-up artists but also many opportunistic practitioners without any background in make-up or much formal training in permanent cosmetic techniques. Armed with a cheap machine, a set of "one-size-fits-all" stencils and a limited choice of pigment shades, such hacks often crank out work that does not compliment client's face and may look totally out of place. Although the hacks prices are frequently cheap, the correction of their embarrassing results is neither cheap nor easy.

Many of my clients come for a correction of such substandard work done elsewhere.

How can you tell if your permanent cosmetics technician is a qualified professional or a hack?

1. Total Commitment to Medical Grade Sterility

I can not emphasize this enough! The most important consideration is permanent makeup technician's total commitment to maintain medical grade sterility of the operating environment. The procedures require puncturing client's skin. Infection, caused by unsanitary or non-sterile equipment, can cause disfiguring scars or worse. Hepatitis and HIV can be transmitted if needles are re-used. Unfortunately, strict compliance with the health code regulations is often missing among shadier operators, for whom permanent cosmetics is frequently just a sideline business. Lack of required license from the Wyoming Department of Public Health is a good indication that the establishment does not follow the sanitary codes.In my practice, I use only single-use disposable needles. All other equipment used during the procedures is sterile and disinfected between each client. Only MRI-safe pigments with FDA-approved components are used.

2. Professional Level Skills Both, as a Make-Up Artist and as a Micropigmentologist.

Permanent makeup is still, well.., a make-up

"Beware when cobbler bakes your pies and baker cobbles your shoes", observed once Ivan Krylov, a famous 19th century Russian poet. Unless you are the type of person who goes to a dentist for an eye exam, you probably should consider whether a nail salon is the best choice for a permanent makeup. A skilled manicurist, electrologist or a tattoo artist is not necessarily a skilled make-up artist. If you would not trust her to do your conventional, temporary make-up, you definitely should not trust her to do your permanent one, which will be a part of your face for a much, much longer time. Permanent cosmetics is not just a technique, it is an art where client's face is painter's canvas. Artist's ability to draw free hand, keen eye for color and facial symmetry as well as thorough knowledge of conventional make-up techniques and its uses in altering the overall appearance is what distinguishes the professional from a hack.In addition to skills as a professional make-up artist, your practitioner must be thoroughly trained in the latest micropigmentation techniques, tools and procedures. A well-trained technician should be able to recreate individual hairstrokes and match natural colors and shading variations. To avoid unexpected shading, she must be able to anticipate interactions of pigment color with skin color and avoid such known problems as pigment migration, which can lead to "smudged" appearance. Permanent cosmetics is a rapidly evolving field. New pigments, techniques and procedures are continually developed and continuing education at the professional conferences and seminars is a must.

3. Investment in Quality Equipment and Broad Range of Pigment Shades

To better accommodate client's preferences and in order to achieve the most natural looking results, reputable practitioners will maintain a large selection of high quality, expensive pigment colors and tints. Less reputable practitioners are often reluctant to make such investment and try to cut costs by using a few popular pigment shades for all skin and hair colors.

Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) has been developed and used by plastic surgeons since 1990s for skin rejuvenation and resurfacing. Its effectiveness has been confirmed by quite a number of clinical studies. CIT is the most effective way to treat such conditions as acne scars and stretch marks.

The mechanism of CIT action is similar to that of the more widely known IPL and Laser Resurfacing: diffuse trauma induced in deep layers of the skin stimulates skin to regenerate and repair itself. In the process, the blemishes present on the skin surface get replaced by healthy skin cells.

Laws of physics make CIT both, safer and much more effective than the laser or IPL in stimulating the deep skin layers. However, - unlike expensive lasers and IPL machines, which are promoted by the equipment manufacturers, - CIT remains one of the least known treatments confined to the offices of very few providers.